Where In The World Can We Find Hope?

Meanwhile in Denmark — as in so many places — the tide of global capitalism eroded familiar ways of life. Rural communities hollowed out, and immigrants with strange clothes and creeds moved in. “There are bigots out there, but we believe the majority attracted to the populist right is disenchanted,” Mr. Weise said. “They don’t feel the establishment is listening to them: ‘You can’t keep order in my world.’ ”

Uffe Elbaek, a member of the Danish Parliament, helped found a new party in 2013 called the Alternative. He told me that the Alternative seeks to “change the political culture” by crowdsourcing its platform through “political laboratories” that invite Danes to read policy papers and meet with experts. “This is not politics coming from above, or outside, but from the inside and bottom up,” Mr. Elbaek said.

In the last election, the Alternative ran on a platform that stressed environmental sustainability, social inclusion and public-private economic collaboration, and won 4.8 percent of the vote. The party has 10 seats in Parliament. It’s a start.